The former Irish soldier, who is understood to have been detained in northern Syria, was radicalised by contacts she made on Facebook, according to friends who knew her at the time.

Extra.iehas been told that Lisa Marie Smith — who has worked on the Government jet serving former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former president Mary McAleese — previously had a little girl with her husband in Tunisia, before she travelled to Syria in 2015.

The news comes as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last night repeated his pledge that the Government would allow her and her two-year-old son to return to Ireland — if that is what she wants.

Lisa Smith from Dundalk who is now a Muslim and detained in Syria. Pic: Tom Conachy

A Foreign Affairs spokesman reiterated that nobody had yet requested consular assistance in Syria, which is an ‘active conflict zone’.

However, American authorities have confirmed that an Irish woman has been detained. This confirmation came shortly after an ITV television crew filmed an interview with a so-called ‘British’ Isis bride – who had a distinct Irish accent.

A friend of Ms Smith’s at the time of her conversion — and subsequent radicalisation — explained just how the young Irish woman’s mind was warped by online Isis fanatics.

She also confirmed to the Extra.ie that she recognised the woman on the ITV news report as Lisa Smith immediately — although she was ‘not the woman I remember’.

She added that Ms Smith had previously shared a picture of herself on social media wearing a Muslim head covering.

‘She [Ms Smith] went on Facebook and said: “Here’s a picture of me in my hijab,” she added.

Former Irish Defence Forces member Lisa Smith

‘Some young Muslim women do that and, if their page is open and people can see it publicly, all of a sudden the marriage proposals start flooding in. That’s what they do.

‘They say: “You’re so beautiful — are you married?” “Come live with me — you’ll have this life with me in this country.” “I love you”. All this c**p starts and, if you’re bombarded with that and you’re not previously getting this type of attention, that’s a powerful thing for a vulnerable woman.

‘If you’re not clever enough to recognise it, you just get sucked into it. That’s what happened to her.’

Extra.ie understands that Ms Smith married a man — who does not have extremist links — and moved to Tunisia. She had a baby girl with him. Her friend explained that her radicalisation continued further and she was eventually persuaded to leave her husband and travel to Syria. It is there that she met a British man, with whom she had a now two-year-old son.

Mr Varadkar told the Extra.ielast night he would not be stripping the alleged terrorist or her child of their Irish citizenship.

When asked whether he would welcome back the former Defence Forces member, the Taoiseach sent a compassionate message: ‘I wouldn’t use the term “welcome” — but we’re not going to strip her and her child of their citizenship and leave them stateless.’

Pic: Peter Byrne/PA Wire

International condemnation is being heaped on the United Kingdom after it revoked the citizenship of an alleged female terrorist and her child died.

However, Mr Varadkar told theExtra.iethat there are a number of issues the Irish authorities need to confront. ‘There are a couple of things that need to be examined now: a) Does she want to come home — maybe she doesn’t. b) Do the Syrians want to put her on trial? c) We have to perform a security assessment as to whether she is threat to us.

‘And finally we have to determine it is actually her,’ Mr Varadkar added. Attempts to contact Ms Smith’s family in Dundalk yesterday were rebuffed but it is understood Gardai have been in touch with them directly.

Lisa Smith on her First Communion Day who is now a Muslim. Pic: Tom Conachy

Summayah Kenna, head of the community welfare department with the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland — and a member of the Clonskeagh mosque in Dublin — told the Extra.iethat Ms Smith attended the Clonskeagh mosque on only three or four occasions several years ago.

‘They were all very fleeting occasions but she left an impression on those who met her here. She was very independent and extremely strong minded. There was no way you could challenge her or change her beliefs.

‘That was something which was immediately noticeable about her,’ said Sister Kenna. ‘But she stopped coming back to us. I was aware about her going on a holiday to Turkey but heard nothing after that.’

Alleged Irish Isis bride Lisa Smith

Ms Smith adopted the Islamic name of Umm Ruqayyah — based on information she provided to a journalist with ITV News before her capture. The name means ‘the daughter of Mohammad’.

‘She always introduced herself as Lisa while she was here,’ Sister Kenna added. ‘When we heard the news this week we hoped against hope that it wasn’t true,’ she said.

‘The Muslim community is very much against all people travelling abroad to fight for Isis. ‘It is very shocking and upsetting for us. ‘I hope she comes back [to Ireland] but what happens to her is a matter for the authorities.

‘I don’t know what she was doing [in Syria] but I’d like to think she will face the consequences of her actions, here in Ireland,’ she said.

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